Scholarship Winners Recognized at STC Banquet

February 2, 2017 – Thirty-five Southeastern Technical College students were recognized as STC Foundation scholarship recipients at a scholarship banquet on Jan. 19 in Vidalia at the STC Economic Development Center.

The scholarships, funded in part by the success of the foundation’s Raising Interest and Donations for Education (RIDE) in 2016, were officially awarded for Fall semester 2016 and Spring semester of this year, but this event gave the students an opportunity to meet foundation donors and trustees as well as community leaders.

“I want to encourage all of you, students, to leverage the assets you’ve been given, whether that be scholarship dollars that you are receiving tonight, time that you have, or the God given talents that you have been given,” said Mark Thompson, STC Foundation Vice President. “Be willing to take some risk in how you invest those assets and manage that risk to achieve your goals. Congratulations to all the scholarship recipients.”

The Louie and Betty Calhoun Scholarship was awarded to Mathew Reese of Vidalia. Alayna Farrow of Midville and Lindsay Manning of Glennville received the Certificate Program Scholarship. The Fish and Wildlife Management Scholarship was given to Kalob Griggs of Midville and Michael Purvis of Twin City.

Medical scholarship recipients were Alicia Baker of Vidalia, Taylor Bush of Twin City, Vivian Gato of Statesboro, Samantha Page of Twin City, Emily Peek of Lyons, and Yesenia Santoyo of Lyons. Mason Brannen of Claxton and Faith Dudley of Vidalia received the Scott Meehan Memorial Scholarship. The William J. Peterson, Jr. Scholarship was awarded to Asha Renfroe of Soperton. Melissa Palma of Lyons received the President’s Scholarship. The Rotary Corporation Scholarship was given to Erin Brown of Reidsville.

The Swainsboro Campus Scholarship was awarded to Danny Coleman of Midville. The Grady Toney Memorial Scholarship was given to Brittney Curl of Collins. Finally, Cynthia Edwards of Lyons won the Vidalia Campus Scholarship.

Where possible, each scholarship recipient was seated with people who were closely tied to the source or namesake of the scholarships. As part of the banquet’s activities, the TCSG State Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership winner of 2016, Ashley Rodgers, a graduate of South Georgia Technical College, addressed the scholars.

“Students, everyone values you, everyone values what you bring to the table, and what you are going to bring to your community,” said Rodgers. “So work hard, preserve, you’re going to be great because that’s what the technical college system does, it makes great people.

STC President Larry Calhoun also spoke to the assembled crowd, commending the students for their dedication to their studies and the donors for their contribution to education.

“Congratulations to all the recipients,” said Mr. Calhoun. “I would charge you to use your ability that you have to excel at what you’re doing and not just to make your life easy.”

Much of the funding necessary to create these scholarships came from the STC Foundation’s 2016 Annual campaign (The RIDE), which generated over $90,000 to support the technical college. The STC Foundation has already committed to increase the total number of scholarships awarded in 2017 to 40 students.

For more information on scholarships and the STC Foundation, visit www.southeasterntech.edu or call 912-538-3100 or 478-289-2200.

Several STC Foundation scholarship recipients are honored following a banquet at STC’s Economic Development Center in Vidalia on Jan. 19.